Sunday, May 06, 2012

Will YOU take the Annual Teacher Appreciation Challenge?

Greetings!

It is that time of year again, where teachers get to stand back and be appreciated for all their hard work.

Well...okay.

It is that time of year again where teachers fantasize about being able to stand back and have their students tell them thank you. You know what I am talking about, THANK YOU , APPRECIATE YOU, YOU ROCK! In my dream world it would sound something like this: "Thank you, Mr. H, for helping me, guiding me, supporting me, nagging me, disciplining me, loving me, cheering for me, always greeting me, teasing me, making me laugh, spending your own money to help me learn, defending me, protecting me, celebrating with me when I finally understand, worrying about me 'til you can't even sleep, hoping for me, praying for me, high five'n me, and above all, valuing me as a person.

I know, I know, I know.

It really isn't about glory, praise, or even monetary thoughtfulness. (Although those things aren't a BAD thing!). It really is about the things that I would love to be thanked for (see above).

The real gift for a teacher is when you have a special "aha" moment with a student, or when a student makes you laugh, or, better yet, when they walk in Monday morning and greet you BEFORE you can even say hello. These examples of simple, yet hope building moments are my favorite.

So...

Would a card be nice? Yes.
Would a gift rock? Absolutely (just not candles)
Would a letter or note from a parent or student be loved and read over and over? Yuppers!

But, those things really aren't what Teacher Appreciation is really all about. It is about letting a teacher you currently have, or have had in the past know what a difference they have made in your life.

So, I want to thank some special teachers in MY life-

Mrs. Q was an amazing teacher (2nd grade). Not only did she help me learn to be obedient, she taught me the wonder of reading Roald Dahl books. I will forever be grateful to her for that. (Not to mention we had the coolest loft and fish tank EVER!

Mrs. D was my 5th grade teacher. She was scary yet awesome. She bought us a book off every book order that we would read together. She had a mini-pond in the MIDDLE of the classroom floor. She loved books as well and shared stories with us often. We also got to earn tokens (poker chips) and then trade them for cools "stuff" once a month. I remember buying my mom a mini-doll. Good times those were!

Ms. Z was my 6th grade teacher. The funniest part about that is that she is still teaching 6th grade in my district and we see each other often. She taught me that friendship isn't just about being popular. She also taught me that Gordon Korman writes AWESOME books and I still share those with my students every year. She helped me understand money and how to save and spend it with a class banking system!

In High School (we don't have a middle school/jr. high here in town) the first teacher that comes to mind is my father, Mr. Hughes. He was not only my history teacher and my class adviser for 6 years, but he was my dad! Oh, everyone thought that I had it easy with my father being my teacher- W-R-O-N-G! I never got away with anything, he saw my report card before I did, and if a teacher ever had a problem with me, I was in his classroom in a heartbeat. Yes, I learned to appreciate my father as a teacher, AND as a father. Being in those same shoes this year and teaching my own son, it is a very rocky road to travel, and my father handled it MUCH better than I am. Thanks dad!

Miss J was one of my most favorite teachers. Not only did she help me develop a deep love for music, but she encouraged me to compose music. Under her watchful eye, I wrote many musical pieces for the high school choirs as well as many instrumental pieces for piano and various band instruments. She is truly on of the greats when it comes to teachers.

Mr. P was also a favorite. Although as students we were scared to ask for help (and we would often take turns asking about a problem and then explain it to the group) I learned more about math in those 6 years than I think I learned about math my entire life. It was hard, it was tough, and I wanted to quit A LOT! But, everyday, he helped our class try again, and again, and again. Thanks Mr. P!

I have to thank Julie Meyers, Jane Friel, Helen Gurr, Karen Empey, Gina Ellis, and Whitney White. These are some REALLY special people from Alpine School District. They were really my first mentors and colleagues. I learned SO much from each of them.

I also had several favorite college teachers. Most recently, I have to thank Claudia, whom, with out her help, patience, and guidance, I would NEVER have graduated from the University of Utah with my Masters in Educational Leadership. I can't tell you thank you enough Claudia, you are truly one amazing adviser and mentor. I ALMOST wish I was still in school so I could continue to learn from you- ALMOST!

Mr. Z is on the list too. Not only has he been an inspiration over the last two year I have know him, he is truly a teacher worthy of his most recent acknowledgement- "Teacher of the Year". Congrats Mr. Amazing. Thanks for all your ideas, support, and friendship.

And, I can't end this post with out thanking the faculty I currently work with. We have a pretty amazing group of teachers here at the elementary. Ms. D, Mrs. Q, Mrs. H, Mrs. Q, Mrs. N, Mrs. S, Mr. P, Mr. J, and Mrs. T. (It looks funny when you only type their initial). I want to let YOU know that I appreciate all your hard work for the students of our community and support of me and my noisy, crazy ways of teaching. You are one FANTASTIC faculty!

I am sure I have missed a few teachers, but as I sit here on the eve of Teacher Appreciation Week, these are the teachers that come to mind.

Thank you,
THANK you,
Thank YOU,
THANK YOU!

Now, for the challenge!

I challenge you to blog about, send an e-mail to, write a card to, send a small gift to, whatever- the THREE to FIVE most influential teachers that have affected your life! Remember to say WHO they are and what the did to make a difference!

The Reward?

Well, the reward is letting teachers know that YOU care. But there needs to be something given to those who make an effort. So, when you have accomplished your mission, leave a comment about it ON THIS POST! (Facebook comments, etc do NOT count!).

Next Sunday, I will do a drawing and ONE lucky winner will win ONE FREE item from my TpT store (see below for more info)! If I don't know you, be sure to leave a way to contact you! :)

Now GO.... APPRECIATE A TEACHER, OR THREE, OR FIVE!

Good Luck and thanks for letting a few teachers know you appreciate them!

Later....

P.S.
I have started selling some of my lessons, ideas, and shortly my musical compositions that are classroom-tested and student approved on Teachers Pay Teachers (or TpT). For the next three days, they are have a Teacher Appreciation Sale, where you get an additional 10% off reduced prices from sellers. (I am offering 15% off for these three days + the 10% 0ff from TpT= 25% off my offerings! Wahoo!)

Click the picture below to be taken to my store. Check out sales there and on the entire site! Don't forget to click on the "Follow Me" button on my store's site to be notified of new products!

6 comments:

I will definitely be taking the challenge. There are so very many teachers I have had in the past and those with whom I currently work that have been so influential in my life. And just in case I haven't said it lately... what you do is truly appreciated. Thank you!

Well, it must be said that you are one of those teachers who truly makes a difference in the lives of those you teach. You may not see the fruits of your labors immediately, but you ARE making a difference.

I love it! I'm going to reference your challenge on my blog too. You're right, teachers don't get a lot of appreciation but I think this is one of those careers where the appreciation comes much later.

What an awesome idea! I am going to take the challenge and reference your post on my blog too. It was fantastic reading about all your teachers. I bet all of them have made you so much of who you are today. Thanks for sharing.

I posted my list in the comments section of my blog post. It was really a great feeling to do it. Recalling all the great teachers I had really made me feel good. I don't think I ever had any "bad" teachers, and I definitely had some really outstanding one. I think that makes this challenge so important - to recognize that not one teacher but many have had an impact on our lives.